TECHNICAL BRIEFING // REF-005•March 22, 2024•9 min read
Metadata: The Digital Fingerprint of User Intent
Analyzing the "Data about Data" to prove whether a file was intentionally created, moved, or automatically generated by the system.
Metadata (MAC times—Modified, Accessed, Created) is the ultimate arbiter of intent.
In "Departing Employee" cases (IP Theft), we often see claims that a user "stole" files. A deep dive into metadata often reveals a different story:
- Was the file copied to a USB, or was it simply accessed by a background backup service?
- Did the user "delete" the folder, or did an automated retention policy trigger?
By analyzing the MFT (Master File Table) and Registry artifacts, we can reconstruct the user's "State of Mind" through their digital actions.